1. Field of the Invention
The present invention provides a liquid crystal display (LCD), in particular, a flexible LCD.
2. Descriptions of the Related Art
Due to its advantages, such as its small volume, low profile and low power consumption, liquid crystal displays (LCDs) have been widely applied to various digital electronic products, such as small-sized LCDs adapted to watches, mobile phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) as well as large-sized LCDs adapted to notebook computers, desktop personal computers (PCs) and the like. As a result, LCDs have now become the mainstream product in the display market.
An LCD mainly comprises a backlight module (including a light source, a light guide component and an optical film) and a liquid crystal panel, which are stacked on each other. Light projected by the light source forms an area light source via the light guide component, and is then imparted with a brightness gain through the optical film and finally forms a picture for display on the liquid crystal panel. Typically, the light source, the light guide component and the optical film are assembled in a frame structure which has a tape attached to the edges thereof.
In reference to both FIGS. 1 and 2, FIG. 1 is a top view of a backlight module 10 in a conventional LCD, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 along line A-A′. The conventional backlight module 10 has a light source assembly 11 disposed within a frame 13. The light source assembly 11 generally comprises a light guide plate 111 and an optical film 113 stacked on each other and is attached by a tape 15 at the periphery thereof. The tape 15 delivers a light sheltering effect to provide an appropriate area light source and avoid light leakage at the periphery. The tape 15 may also be a double-sided adhesive tape that can be adhered to the liquid crystal panel (not shown), while the conventional frame 13 is usually made of a rigid and unbendable material to fix and protect the light source assembly 11 installed therein.
Additionally, the conventional light guide plate 111, which is usually injection molded, has a certain thickness and hardness and is unbendable. However, by the advancement in manufacturing processes and the optional use of different light sources, the light guide plate 111 has become increasingly thinner. For example, when the thickness thereof becomes less than 0.3 mm, the light guide plate 111 will become bendable. In this case, the frame 13 undoubtedly becomes the element that has the largest thickness and hardness among all elements of the backlight module 10, so it not only occupies an excessive volume but also renders the backlight module 10 inflexible, which restricts the application of the LCD.
In view of this, it is important to provide a flexible and thin LCD for wider application.